'There was no SON we knew' — played 68 minutes, remained silent with 'zero shots'... 'Segura's last-minute theater goal' LAFC secures narrow 1-0 victory over Toluca in League Cup

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Heung-min (34) played for about 68 minutes but remained silent, yet LAFC secured a dramatic victory.

On the 9th (Korean time), LAFC defeated Toluca of Mexico's Liga MX in the second leg of the '2026 League Cup' at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA, thanks to an extra-time theater goal by Eddie Segura just before the final whistle, winning 1-0.

With this result, LAFC achieved its revenge. In May, LAFC suffered a crushing 0-4 defeat away to Toluca in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals, missing out on a spot in the final. The two teams met again after about three months and engaged in fierce back-and-forth play, with LAFC emerging as the winner.

The League Cup is a tournament featuring teams from Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States and Liga MX in Mexico. Participating teams face three opponents from the opposing league in the first round, with the top four teams from each league advancing to the tournament. LAFC finished fifth among 18 MLS teams with one win and one draw (five points).

Home team LAFC deployed a 4-3-3 formation. Leading the attack at the front line were Son Heung-min, Denis Bouanga, and David Martinez. Marco Delgado, Mathieu Choiniere, and Timothy Tillman were positioned in the second line. The back four consisted of Ryan Hollingshead, Aaron Long, Nkosi Tafari, and Yevhen Cheberko. Hugo Lloris wore the goalkeeper gloves.

Until the middle of the first half, LAFC struggled as Toluca dominated possession with a 7-3 ratio. Son Heung-min in the forward line was isolated and could not find any attacking opportunities. While Toluca registered four shots by the 30th minute of the first half, LAFC recorded none.

LAFC's first shot came at the 34th minute of the first half. In a counterattack, Martinez took a shot that the goalkeeper parried, but Bouanga attempted another shot from in front of the goal; however, it was blocked by the goalkeeper's save.

Taking their first shot as a turning point, LAFC gained some momentum and four minutes later Choiniere attempted a long-range shot, which struck the left post and went out.

After that, both teams exchanged several attacks, and the first half ended scoreless at 0-0.

The early second half showed a lull in action. Both teams used substitution cards to try to change the momentum, but their play in the attacking third lacked precision, and neither managed any significant shots.

In the 20th minute of the second half, LAFC recorded its second effective shot, but it did not result in a goal. Bouanga received a forward pass from Tillman and struck a ground ball from the left side of the penalty box, but the goalkeeper caught it.

Son Heung-min, who failed to show much activity, was eventually substituted for Jeremy Ebobisse in the 23rd minute of the second half. According to football statistics media 'FootMob', Son played about 68 minutes without taking a single shot. He also created no opportunities for his teammates. He recorded 33 touches, a pass success rate of 90% (18/20), three clearances, and three successful ground ball duels. FootMob gave Son Heung-min a below-average rating of 6.3.

LAFC secured the victory with a last-minute theater goal in extra time of the second half. The substitute Segura curled a perfect right-footed shot from the penalty line into the net. The final whistle then sounded, and the match concluded with LAFC's dramatic win.

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*This content was translated by AI.